Smithers MINNEAPOLIS

What a difference a week makes. Last Thursday night we dealt with temperatures in the 90°’s, tonight it was in the low 70°’s (maybe high 60°’s?) with heavy overcast clouds. It looked like it was going to rain for most of the night and the wind was just howling. As opposed to riding on the road, where you can ride out into a headwind and then turn around and enjoy a tailwind all the way home, the wind comes into the velodrome and whips around so you feel like you have a headwind the entire time. Nice.

I had my team mate MP with me tonight so we were able to use some strategy and were lucky enough to sweep all three races.

The first race of the night was a 10 lap scratch race. Things were kind of slow for the first 3 laps but then MP launched an attack and went off the front. Another rider went with him and quickly those two were up almost a half lap. I knew that MP would be in good shape if it came down to a sprint between those two so I just sat back and bided my time. The other three guys in the race were not content to let those two ride away with the race so they went to the front and started pulling. MP’s break partner was having some problems staying with him and with two laps to go it was just MP off the front. I was perfectly happy to let MP win the race and it looked like he had enough room to stay off the front but it was hard work to stay out there alone fighting the wind and with just under a lap to go he was caught. Typically I would wait to start sprinting until after turn two, about 160 meters from the finish. But with the wind blasting around the track I thought I would try to go a little earlier and I was fortunate enough to hold off the two U of M team mates and cross the line in 1st.

Next was the miss and out. MP and I were both able to stay to the outside of the group where it is easier to find room to accelerate on the miss laps. With six laps to go it was the two U of M team members, MP and I left in the race. I was able to squeak ahead of one of the U of M riders and stay in the race and with four laps to go it was the three of us left. MP and I were kind of looking at each other for a sign of who wanted to go for the final and MP let me ride ahead of him to stay in the race. I used the same point to start the sprint for the final and ended up with the same result.

The final event for the evening was the 40 lap scratch race. About 5 laps into the race MP got off the front with one of the U of M riders. Again, they were almost immediately up half a lap. It looked like they were going to lap the field but the pack got motivated and brought them back. Another 5 or so laps later the other U of M rider attacked and it was my turn to go with him. I was not in the right spot and MP was able to accelerate quickly and get on his wheel and they were half a lap ahead within two laps. No one else made a move and I had a choice at this point. I could sit there and let MP and the U of M rider gain a lap or I could chase. If I did not chase and they gained a lap MP would fare no worse than 2nd in the race and would be in a good position to lead me out for the sprint for 3rd. If I chased and was successful the race would probably end in a field sprint. If I chased and was unsuccessful then I would have been too blown out for the sprint. I chased…and was unsuccessful. MP saw me chasing and sat on the U of M riders wheel and did not pull. The U of M riders team mate sat on my wheel and I knew that he would not pull. So around and around and around we went neither of us gaining or losing much ground. At about 5 laps to go the U of M rider who was on my wheel attacked me and I did not have enough strength to stay with him. MP saw this move immediately and he attacked his U of M rider who was not able to stay with him. If only I could have stayed with my U of M rider I may have been able to contest the sprint for 2nd place, but in all honesty I was pretty much knocked. So MP took the win, his U of M rider took 2nd and my U of M rider took 3rd with me in 4th. The best I could have done if I had sat up and let MP and his U of M rider lap us is 3rd anyway so it was not a big loss. But I do need to think a bit more clearly on what the strategy should be while the race is under way.

So with two wins and a 4th place I was able to win the overall omnium of the evening and MP was 3rd overall. Another fun night at the track.

Next race up is the Cudahy Criterium in Milwaukee Wisconsin this Saturday.